Birb-day

 For: Claire
Occasion: her birthday

To celebrate my dear Claire's birthday, I drew this sweet bird in a party hat looking all adorable. I love when people refer to birds as "birbs" and just wanted to spread some playful joy for the big day. I adore my Claire and miss her so! Here's hoping she has the very best year yet.

And with that, my dearest Debbie Dots community, we wrap 2024! Some highlights include passing the benchmark of having made 2,500 individual cards in the card-making reign. I cannot even wrap my mind around that number, but it does fill me with so much love!

Thank you all, dear humans, for sharing your love and light in all the ways you do. Here we go for a beautiful 2025!

Running Birthday

 For: Riley
Occasion: her birthday

Riley is getting into running these past few years, so for her birthday card this year I did an illustration of her running among a lovely cloudy background! I love this illustration style with bendy and rounded features! Riley is such a fantastic human and I hope this year brings her everything she's hoping for!

Cake Signal Birthday

 For: Uncle Jer
Occasion: his birthday

To help Uncle Jer celebrate his birthday, I did a playful take on the bat signal, but replaced it with a cake! I love the dark night and city-scape that makes the yellow card stock pop. It was so great to see Uncle Jer over the holidays and I hope he has an excellent birthday!

Jingle Bell Rock

 For: Michael
Occasion: Christmas

Michael took a geology course recently and had such a good time with it that I was delighted to make him a sweet little rock holding jingle bells. Look at how earthy and wonderful this design came out! I had such a good time learning about Colorado's rich geological heritage and look forward to whatever learning is coming our way in 2025!

Turtle Dove Christmas

 For: Adam
Occasion: Christmas

Adam's card features a festive take on the Mario characters Koopa Paratroopa! These flying turtle things struck me as the perfect way to play on the Christmas classic of two turtle doves. I worked so hard on this card and am so proud of how it turned out. Being with Adam over the festive season has been so fun!

Rainbow Snowman

 For: Owen
Occasion: Christmas

Sweet Owen loves rainbows, so for his Christmas card this year, I did a collage of a snowman in the coolest matching rainbow hat and scarf! I love, love, love how this card turned out and have had so much fun being with O this Christmas!

Improv Christmas

 For: The Twin
Occasion: Christmas

Twin is an extraordinary improviser! For her Christmas card this year, I did an illustration of an audience shouting out suggestions for a holiday improv show: cookies! lights! and Santa! In improv, these suggestions are called a "get" so the joke is "I hope  you GET everything you want this Christmas!" I adore my twin so and had such a good time with her leading up to the holiday. 

8 Bit Santa

 For: Nathan
Occasion: Christmas

For Brother Bear's Christmas card, I did an 8 bit Santa illustration à la Mario! I this this turned our really fun and love the boxy snowflakes. Nathan is so kind to open his home to us so often. I hope all his Christmas dreams come true!

Frosty Christmas

 For: Mom
Occasion: Christmas

My mom is a big fan of all the classic Christmas cartoons. For her Christmas card this year, I did a bright illustration of Frosty! I am so excited that she got all the Rankin/Bass shows on DVD and hope she watches them to her heart's content!

Papa Christmas Tree

 For: Dad
Occasion: Christmas

My dad is an amazing grandpa and often balances his grandsons on his legs like this! To make the image full of holiday cheer, I gave Adam and Owen a string of lights and Papa Bill a star on his head. I love the monochrome of this design and am so happy to get to see all three of these beloveds play together this Christmas!

Muppet Christmas Card

 For: Amy
Occasion: Christmas

Amy rightly loves Muppet Christmas Carol, so for her Christmas card this year, I did an illustration of Gonzo and Rizzo! I love, love, love how this card came out and had so much fun making it. I hope Ames has the very best Christmas ever!

Batman Christmas

 For: Alex
Occasion: Christmas

For Alex's Christmas card, I did an illustration of the classic "Jingle bells, Batman smells, Robin laid an egg!" I love how grumpy Batman is about his odor! It's so fun to get to see Alex a bit this Christmas.

Menorah Moose

 For: The Biegens
Occasion: Hanukkah

To help the Biegens celebrate Hanukkah this year, I dreamt up a moose with a menorah as antlers! I am so delighted with how this card turned out and hope they have a wonderful celebration of light together this year.

Skating Christmas

 For: The Families
Occasion: Christmas

The annual Christmas card to spread cheer to relatives near and far features Mike and me ice skating! Mike is spinning around and round and I am, as always, laughing at his antics. 

It's always so fun and such a process to make these cards! Definitely kicks off the season for me, and is so much fun. 

I hope everyone has the best holiday ever!

Running Christmas

 For: Mollie
Occasion: Christmas

Mollie is my best Colorado running pal, so for her Christmas card I drew this hilarious joke of a snowman chasing his carrot nose. The speech bubble reads "my nose is running!" I have so enjoyed running with Mollie again and can't wait for a lovely winter mountain adventures. 

Christmas Tree Collage

 For: Marie
Occasion: Christmas

I love this card, and knew Marie would too! I made a Christmas tree collage out of front range landscapes and am just delighted with the earthy feel--I used my earthiest green marker to make a fun font pairing of a "Merry Christmas" wish. I was so happy that Marie enjoyed this card so much!

Christmas Window

 For: The Mungers
Occasion: Christmas

I made a snowman peaking in the window! The window itself is shiny cellophane, so the shine you see in the picture is real. I  had so much fun creating this card and I hope my Munger family has a great Christmas trip!

Snowman Collage

 For: Sarah
Occasion: Christmas

Sarah is a connoisseur of cards, so I wanted to make her Christmas card extra special! I created a snowman out of an old book page and scarf that spells out "merry" to set the stage for a Merry Christmas wish! I love how sweet this looks and hope it helps her have a jolly holiday! 

Punctuation Christmas

 For: Jennifer
Occasion: Christmas

To help Jennifer kick off the holiday season, I did a punctuation joke: what looks like a period in quotes is doubling as Rudolph! It's just my kind of humor and I hope she has had a great time getting ready for Christmas in Oregon!

Everything Christmas

 For: Jackie
Occasion: Christmas

This is the happiest string of lights I've ever drawn! Paired with a festive "Merry everything!" wish, I love how this card turned out. I hope Jackie and fam are enjoying Adam the Next's first Christmas!

Cactus Christmas

 For: Theresa
Occasion: Christmas

I loved getting to see Theresa on her property in the desert this summer! To help her celebrate the winter holidays, I created this sweet little cactus dressed up in Christmas tree garb! I love the gold details and the shadow on that the cactus makes (even the garland lines!). I adore Theresa so and hope she has an amazing Christmas!

Mountain Christmas

For:  Lexi and fam
Occasion: Christmas

I had the best time creating this beautiful mountain scene for my dear Lex! Purple mountains majesty against a star-filled sky and a lovely alpine lake--is there anything more Colorado? I cannot wait for the family to move back and hope they had an awesome holiday season so far!

Latte Christmas

 For: Leia
Occasion: Christmas

To help Leia celebrate the holidays, I drew her the most festive holiday drink I could imagine in the funnest monogramed mug! I adore my coffee dates with Leia and hope she had the best time in the UK!

Santa Anchor

 For: Mark and Becky
Occasion: Christmas

To help Mark and Becky celebrate the holidays, I drew a sweet little Santa-as-anchor with H20 as the Ho, Ho, Hos! They have a few boats now and this aquatic theme is just too fun! I hope they have had a lovely holiday season.

Pickleball Birthday

 For: Aunt Katy
Occasion: her birthday

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Aunt Katy is an amazing pickleballer! For her birthday card this year, I did a watercolor of a cute little gherkin ready for a match. Look at how sweet he is! I hope Aunt Katy gets the chance to play lots of games this year!

Bird Birthday

 For: Aunt Glor
Occasion: her birthday

Aunt Glor recommended the most wonderful book about birdies to me recently, so for her birthday card I made a watercolor of a sweet little colorful friend in a party hat! I loved painting this card. I love Aunt Glor so and hope this year is full of lovely moments of peace and joy!

Popcorn Birthday

 For: Mark
Occasion: his birthday

Mark is a true connoisseur of popcorn, so for his birthday card I did an illustration of a classic movie-style box with a punny phrase: "Have a poppin' birthday!" I adore my Twin-law so and hope we get to cross paths some time this year!

Face Mask Birthday

 For: Aunt Kat
Occasion: her birthday

Aunt Kat is a queen of all things skin care, so for her birthday card I did an illustration of her relaxing in spa robe and a green mask! I love this card design and hope she is pampered today and all year!

Cake Excuse Birthday

For: Paul

Occasion: his birthday 

For Paul's birthday card this year, I used some block letters and glitter pens to share this message: "You are the best excuse to eat cake!" The E in cane leads into an illustration of a slice of cake and it's all very birthday festive. I hope Paul has an awesome birthday!

Banner Birthday

For: Uncle Jim

Occasion: his birthday 

I used brown craft paper to make this simple banner pop! It reads "Happy birthday Jim!" I will admit it felt strange to leave "uncle" off the banner, but I wanted to give it a try! Anyhow, I hope he has the best day ever and enjoys some tasty treats to celebrate the day! 

Celtics Birthday

 For: Liam
Occasion: his birthday

Liam is a Boston guy through and through. For his birthday card this year, I re-imagined the Boston Celtics logo as Liam himself! Noticeable differences are the lack of pipe, party hat instead of top hat and cupcake instead of basketball! I also made the character look as Liam-like as I could. Getting to know the Kellys has been such a treat--I hope this year is so much fun for him!

Balloon Birthday

 For: Uncle Bruce
Occasion: his birthday

For Uncle Bruce's 70th birthday, I did an illustration of classic metallic number balloons to spell out 70 and "happy birthday" in string! I love how it turned out, and I hope he had an awesome day and is looking forward to this next decade!

Cute Clown Birthday

 For: Aunt Joan
Occasion: her birthday

For Aunt Joan's birthday card, I drew a sweet little clown wearing a Happy Birthday! hat and holding a party balloon. There was always a rumor when I was young that Aunt Joan went to or wanted to go to clown college, and I have no idea if it was true, but she was and is and always has been one of the funniest people I know, so I wouldn't be surprised! I hope she has the very best day and is looking forward to another year of joy and laughter. 

Thanksgiving Pie

 For: The Walsh-Rocks
Occasion: Thanksgiving

The Walsh-Rocks are the hosts with the most every Thanksgiving, so to share gratitude with them for setting up the big party this year, I made them a simple card featuring a delicious slice of pumpkin pie with the message "full of thanks!" I adore this family so, so much and am so sorry to miss them this year for the beautiful holiday celebration that they curate. I can't wait to see them at Christmas in under a month!

Cat Birthday

 For: Quam
Occasion: his birthday

Quam has been sending me the required photos and videos of his and his girlfriend's cat, Goose. To celebrate Quam's birthday, I did a watercolor of Goose looking much more innocent than is reasonable. I loved trying to capture his spirit and get the various markings correct based on the library of images I have seen. I am so pleased to know the card was a hit with the entire fam!

Hiking Birthday

 For: Jaimie
Occasion: her birthday

For Jaimie's birthday card this year, I did a watercolor pen sketch of her on a solo-hike in the mountains! I love the bright colors and how the snowy white space of the mountains balance out the brightness. Jaimie is such a ray of sunshine in the world and I had so much fun painting at craft night the other day. I hope she has an incredible year! 

Confetti Birthday

 For: Rukiyah
Occasion: her birthday

Rukiyah is one of the most colorful people I've ever known, so for her birthday card I used all the colors I could think of! "This calls for confetti" is done with so many colors in each letter that are each outlined in white for some extra pop. And then the dark space has lots of little glimmers of glittery joy to tie it all together. I hope Rukiyah is doing amazing and has a fantastic, wonderful, amazing birthday!

Kitty Birthday

 For: Jennifer
Occasion: her birthday

Jennifer got a sweet little kitty that she named Alice! For Jen's birthday card, I drew the sweet little muffin with my colored pencils and I love how the darker gray cardstock helps add some dimension to the white fur ball! This card was so fun to make and I can't wait to meet little miss some day. It was so fun to see Jen in CO right before her big day, too!

Cupcake Collage Birthday

 For: Win
Occasion: her birthday

For Win's card, I made an awesome collage with lots of different paper designs that add up to this excellent cupcake with pink frosting and a right excellent candle and flame, if I do say so myself. I hope Win had a lovely day and was able to celebrate with some tasty treats!

Get Well Check In

 For: a dear friend and relative
Occasion: get well soon

Someone I adore to the stars and back is undergoing cancer treatments, and I've found "get well soon" or "you're stronger than cancer" type cards don't strike the right note for what I want to communicate. To capture my sentiment that we are all here for every piece of this stinky situation, I drew a heart made of all the different feeling faces my brain could come up with to complement the "However you feel..." message. I hope this card struck the tone I was going for and that they feel the love as they get ready for all the treatments.

Get Well Soon Potion

 For: Twin
Occasion: her procedure

Twin loves board games, so to wish her well on her upcoming procedure, I made a healing potion card like you might see in a deck-building game! It features a beaker of purple healing liquid and has a moderate cost with the benefit of sweet relief. The instructions are to use this card after any surgery or procedure. I fancy myself quite clever for this one and am glad Little Twin is doing so well!

Mountain Card

 For: Rosemerry
Occasion: her birthday

For Rosemerry's card this year, I did a beautiful abstract mountain scene with my beloved Prismacolor colored pencils that really help everything look magical! I used painter's tape to block off the edges of the design and just put rocky cliffs where I wanted to and flowy sky and all kinds of colors. I love how this looks and I hope to use this style again often--it's so fun to create art for one of the most prolific and vulnerable artists I've ever met (or may even exist!). I hope Rosemerry has a magical year.

Sweater Weather Birthday

 For: Maddie
Occasion: her birthday

For Maddie's birthday card, I drew the most wonderful cozy sweater with hands and face juuuuuust peaking out of the comfort! I added in a party hat and "Happy Sweater Weather" on the green background. I just love this design and I hope Maddie had the coziest birthday ever!

Trick or Treat Halloween

 For: Adam and Owen
Occasion: Halloween

To help my dear nephews celebrate the candiest of all the holidays, I drew some candies (with metallic wrappers) that read "Trick or Treat". I love how this card turned out and cannot wait to hear all about the candy they collect in their epic costumes! A safe and happy Halloween to all!

Seal Thank You

 For: Jennifer
Occasion: her birthday

To thank Jennifer for being an incredible host for my trip to Astoria, OR, I did an illustration of this sweet seal with a "Thanks!" message in the background. I love the PNW subdued blues of this card! I had so much fun visiting with Jen and hiking around and exploring her new city--I can't wait to go back again soon!

Floral Birthday

 For: Alyssa
Occasion: her birthday

To help Alyssa celebrate her birthday, I did a lovely illustration of wildflowers on top of a teal watercolor wash! I really appreciate the simple beauty of this card and hope Alyssa's year is filled with more of the same!

Manzanita Birthday

 For: Theresa
Occasion: her birthday

Theresa loves Manzanita trees, so for her birthday I got out my cray pas and tried to do an abstract design of the beautiful tree in a heart-shape in the Southwest! I loved trying something new (and knowing that Theresa is here for all kinds of art as an expressive arts therapist!). Where it got silly is that I forgot to take a picture of the original, AND THEN the original card got lost in the mail (temporarily)--so I tried to replicate the design from memory, resulting in this little friend below:

WHAT A FUN EXERCISE, Y'ALL! Look at how different these two cards are! Completely different color palates, spacing, backgrounds and foregrounds -- my gosh, I loved it. The original card turned up before the second was received and I just so appreciated that Theresa unintentionally was the facilitator of this art experiment!